Run Away
by somepointlessname
Summary: This is the same thing but they wouldn't let me log in to my old account.
1. Chapter 1

Rain pattered on the windowpane as Elsa lay in bed. The platinum blonde had been lost in thoughts since the brunette beside her had nodded off, and that's when she heard it. There was light tapping, quite similar to the rain, but something about it seemed to stand out to her. Something about it was rhythmically trapped in her memory. She climbed out of bed and donned her robe with only a quick glance to the brunette in her bed to make sure she was still asleep when she crept out of the bedroom and down the hall to the front stairwell. Even in the dark, Elsa retained her elegant poise as she walked down the stairwell to the foyer, which ended at the front door. Elsa could no longer hear any noises other than the pitter patter of rain and then it happened. She heard a sniffle on the other side of the door, and so she approached the peephole. From what she could see, no one was there, but a wrap around porch gave many places to hide, luckily, even to get onto the property though, her visitor would need to go through a security check. Her now sobbing visitor that Elsa couldn't see but hear.

She opened the door and looked to the right and then left. There was a young woman sitting on her porch swing, curled into a ball and crying. As Elsa got closer, she caught a glimpse of red. "Anna?" Elsa called out and was surprised by her own voice. "What's going on?" The older girl asked, wrapping an arm around her friend. It was then that she noticed that she was wet and shaking and still crying. "It's okay." Elsa whispered into the sobbing girl's hairline, and then they stumbled inside like that. Wrapped in each other, while Elsa kept calmly whispering to Anna. When they made it inside, through the foyer to the living room, Elsa released the girl to pull a blanket from the back of the couch before wrapping the sobbing redhead in it. "It's okay, Anna." The blonde said as she rocked Anna in her arms. "Shhh. It's okay." Elsa cooed, and Anna just sobbed, loudly and brokenly into her shoulder. For a moment, the sobs seemed to taper off, as Anna tried to calm herself to thank her friend, but the tears wouldn't stop and Anna's efforts were rewarded with a stuttering sob that burst forth, loudly and uncontrollably. "It's okay." Elsa replied as she held the girl tighter to her. "Let it out. It's okay." Elsa coaxed as she broke into louder sobs. The older girl was dragged deep into her last memory of the girl, years ago, before Anna had left. She kept rubbing the redhead's back and muttering soothing words that she was sure would only help Olaf when she was broke out of her reverie.

"Well don't you two look cozy?" A coy voice called from the kitchen. Elsa looked up at the brunette, she had left her in the bed, just moments ago and then down at herself. The redhead was no longer sobbing, only whimpering quietly as if she was asleep, and resting her head on Elsa's shoulder as she was held.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know she was coming over." Elsa apologized.

"It's okay. I was just gonna snag some water and get out of your hair." Meg explained.

"You don't have to go." She wanted to say more. To explain, but she couldn't. She couldn't explain how even after three years, Elsa was willing to drop everything for the young woman in her arms.

"It's okay. I'll see you at the office, Boss." The brunette threw over her shoulder as she walked to the door. "And Boss?" Elsa looked up at that. "Don't let her leave this time." She threw a sarcastic smile back at them and quickly left the two girls, wrapped around each other. Elsa blushed when she realized what she had meant but it was too late to argue out of it now, the woman had left. Anna chose this moment to snuggle closer to Elsa and then she drifted off to sleep.

"Mhnnng."Anna shifted in bed only to fall off the edge. From her viewpoint on the floor, she looked around confused. The house had all white walls, a white leather couch and a large t.v. mounted to the wall but there was nothing else, not even a coffee table,. The wooden floor she landed on had been hard and as she sat up to look past the couch towards what she assumed was a kitchen and then she heard giggling. That's when she made eye contact with the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. They were filled with mirth."Elsa?" She looked at the tired woman in front of her.

"Yes." The blonde looked at her quizzically but still amused.

"How did I get here? Why am I here? Why do you look like you're gonna laugh? I don't remember. What happened?"Anna rambled on as Elsa looked on sweetly at her childhoodfriend. Then her hands joined in the conversation. "I was drinking with a coworker, and is this your house? Did you move? Where are we? Hans is..." That's when the words ended. Both girls stopped at the mention of his name. "Oh God. He must be so mad. I have to leave. I have to get back." But when the redhead tried to stand and her vision went black. "Oh..." In this moment Anna was hit with memories from the night before.

"Are you okay?" Elsa asked worriedly as the redhead stopped not only moving but also speaking.

"I just... I don't know what to do." Anna responded dejectedly.

"Well, you're already here, might as well visit for a little bit, yeah?" Elsa tried to deflect the huge conversation she knew was coming. Something had happened with Hans. Something was always happening with Hans. Elsa knew from the few times she had seen him at galas and parties.

"Thank you." The redhead then smiled for the first time since arriving. "I missed you. How are you? What have you been up to? How's Jack? The company?" She spitfired questions as they reached her mind. Elsa looked back at the young woman before her and cracked a smile. As she opened her mouth to respond, Anna stomach growled. The younger blushed and Elsa looked down at her affectionately as the redhead looked off at the floor.

"Let's eat breakfast while we catch up okay?" Elsa asked.

"Okay." Anna responded and moved to get up. This caused the older woman to laugh then. "What?" The younger asked and then she reached up. "Oh." She touched her hair, which was impressively defying gravity as Elsa pointed to the bathroom with one hand while she covered her chuckles with her other hand. "Not all of us have easy hair, Elsa." Anna chastised the giggling blonde.

"I remember. I'll go get some clothes and we can head to the manor for breakfast, okay?" Elsa asked as Anna moved down the hall off the living room to find a bathroom.

"Okay." The redhead called as she left the room through a hallway. Elsa watched her as she left and then walked to the large staircase off the parlor to her room upstairs.


	2. Chapter 2

Elsa pulled open the door to Anna struggling through her "I grabbed you some clothes and a toothbrush and you can use the sho-" Elsa stopped as she looked at Anna struggling through her hair. "I can help if you want." The blonde offered as she made eye contact through the mirror. Anna gave an exasperated expression as she handed her the brush.

"Not all of us have straight hair, Elsa." The redhead teases as she stands straight and still.

"But the rest of us know how to fix our hair so this doesn't happen." Elsa teases back as she runs the brush through Anna hair. "Pigtails really helped reign in your birdsnest."

"But pigtails make me look like a little kid." She pouted in response.

"I love your pigtails." Elsa smiled down at her as she started to braid Anna's hair. The redhead was uncharactaristically quiet for this. When Elsa finished her hair she started on her own, fixing the braid from last night that was only slightly disheveled from sleep.

"Elsa," The blonde stopped and looked at Anna as the younger girl busied herself with the clothes Elsa had brought her. They were her own clothes. Things she had left behind at Elsa's house. Loving, caring, Elsa had even brought her a toothbrush. Elsa who was the hardest thing to leave. "Last night..." Anna broke off remembering how she had cried into her shoulder.

"What about it?" Elsa feigned ignorance, wanting to put off the conversation she feared was about Hans. She moved closer to the younger girl trying to get her attention while she spoke to her. She slid her hand across Anna's back as she was turned away in the bathroom.

"You had a girl over." Anna finally broached the topic as she continued to look away. It was eating at her since the memories came back and she didn't know how to talk about it.

"Oh." Elsa responded completely forgetting about Meg, and how she had seen the two of them. "I thought you were asleep." She blushed as she tried to brush it off.

"Is that like a thing?" Anna asked as she stepped back in front of the mirror as she started to brush her teeth, eyeing Elsa in the mirror. They both were flushed as the blonde stuttered out her answer.

"I mean, I wouldn't say it's a thing." She explained and Anna raised her eyebrow. "I guess. Kinda. I don't really know. I think so." The younger continued to make eye contact but didn't respond as she finished brushing her teeth.

"What's her name?" She finally asked after she finished brushing.

"Meg?" Elsa looked thoroughly confused at this point.

"Is it her specifically or all women?" Anna asked as they continued to look at each other through the mirror.

"Uhm... I wouldn't say all women..." The older woman responded and looked away.

"How would you describe it then?" The readhead asked as she turned to face Elsa and leaned back against the sink.

_I want to take you against that sink right now._

"I like women." Elsa ran a hand through her messy bangs. "I'm gay." She finished.

"When did you know?" The younger girl asked as she reached for the clothes Elsa had brought her.

"Always." Elsa responded, not being able to lie.

"You didn't tell me." Anna pulled off her shirt as she looked at her friend.

"It didn't seem important. I guess. I didn't know. I wasn't. Uhm." Elsa tried to explain, distractedly looking down at her hands to avoid making eye contact with the ginger. When she looked up, Anna had changed her clothes.

"It's okay." She reached for Elsa's arms. "I guess it kinda makes sense." Anna smiled at her. "Now breakfast?"

"Breakfast." Elsa agreed and led them out of the bathroom to the front door. They stepped out on the porch that not 12 hours ago, Anna had sobbed as she knocked on her best friend's house, hoping that Elsa would answer but also pleading with the world that she was too quiet so Elsa wouldn't see her like this. She looked at the swing as Elsa locked the door. When Elsa had looked down at her with a gentle smile though, Anna was sure that she had made the right choice. "I'm kinda impressed you found my house."

"Well, it wasn't hard." Anna looked up smiling. "You always wanted to live here. Is it part of the manor's grounds now?"

"Yes. I bought it when I took the seat as president. Mom wanted me to feel comfortable and safe out of the manor." Elsa looked across the immaculate lawn towards the manor over an immaculate garden, everything perfect.

"I'm sorry, Elsa. That I wasn't here." The young girl said as she looked down ashamed.

"It's okay." Elsa smiled sadly. "Probably best that you didn't. I wasn't exactly a good time." She smiled wryly as she encouraged Anna into the car. They both slid into opposite seats of Elsa's 1997 Honda Accord.

"Your car still works?" The readhead questioned excitedly. "I remember when you bought it. Mr. Arrendelle wouldn't let you buy a car that you didn't earn."

"Yeah. It was awful. I had to help Gerda and Kai around the manor and Rusty in the garage. Honestly I'm lucky that I was forced into it. I'm not totally inept like some bussiness magnets." Elsa smiled imagining some of the guests from the balls and galas her family have thrown working on cars and making their own meals.

"I bet Mr. Weasletown doesn't even know how to change his own tire let alone lift one." Anna laughed at the image and Elsa laughed along with her as they drove down a winding road, sweeping around the outskirts of the manor's impressively sized property.


	3. Chapter 3

As they rode up to the front doors of the manor, they were met by a tall bruenette man, whose face was all sharp angles and imposing features, but didn't look older than 25 with rippling muscles that you could make out through an impeccable uniform made up of a perfectly tailored suit. "Ms. Arrendelle, it's lovely to see you today." The man stated formally but with sincerity.

"Allistair, it's a pleasure as always. This is Anna Southern. She will be joining us for brunch, can you let Kristoff know? She's allergic to shellfish but that should be all he needs to know." Elsa responded corgially.

"Of course, Ms. Arrendelle." The man, Allistair, turned to Anna then, and the young girl looked up intimidated. "It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Southern. I'm Allistair Rogers, Elsa's personal butler at the main estate." Allistair bowed and Anna immeadiately curtsied. When the man looked up dumbfounded, Anna grabbed his hand in a handshake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Allistair. You can call me Anna." She smiled brightly.

"Of course, Ma'am." He smiled down at her quizzically and removed his hand from hers. He immediately turned away from the two young woman and climbed into the car and drove off with it. Anna looked quizzically up at Elsa who was snickering.

"I think you broke Allistair." She laughed. "He's not used to being so informal. I've been trying to get him to call me Elsa for three years now. He was even my bodyguard through the last year of college and he didn't even speak to me until last spring."

"How did you even choose someone so formal?" Anna teased.

"Mom told me I needed someone serious after..." This gave the blonde pause and she looked down. They still stood on the front step, awkwardly falling into a friendship that was missing years of intimacy. Anna not knowing what to do, grabbed her hand and pulled her into the house. The manor looked exactly as the readhead had remembered. In the foyer they were met with twin staircases that led to a balcony overseeing the front door.

"I'm sorry about bringing it up." She looked up at Elsa apologetically after several moments of silence.

"It's okay." The blonde smiled down at her and then she hugged Anna, but was interrupted by a bouncing little boy.

"Mommy, why are we hugging?" The pale boy asked as he hugged Elsa and Anna. The blonde released the hug at that moment to pick up the four year old.

"For fun. This is my friend Anna Southern. How was your night with Uncle Jack?" Anna looked at the boy, whose pale skin matched Elsa but the dark hair constrasted drastly, with a mixture of awe and wonder having never seen her childhood friend look so happy at anyone other than herself. "Did you have fun with your grandma?" Elsa prompted the child to fill the anxiety from the previous conversation, while Anna forgot it in thoughts of Elsa, her mysterious son, and the woman from the night before whose dark hair Anna didn't get a good look at that might've matched this boy.

"Uncle Jack picked me up and made me fly." His mom looked highly amused.

"Did he?" She asked.

"Yeah!" He started to squirm and Elsa set him down.

"What do you have to say to Mrs. Southern, Olaf?"

"Good morning, Missus Southern!" Olaf looked up at her.

"Good morning, Olaf." The readhead responded then asked, "How old are you?"

"I'm four!" The little boy said as he held up four fingers.

"There you are, you little devil! This doesn't look like the bathroom." a voice called from up the left staircase. "Anna?" She turned and before she could see who it was she was in the air looking down at a head of short white hair.

"JACK! SET ME DOWN!" Anna screamed. She flailed as he held her up by her armpits looking up at her.

"Jack set Anna down." She heard a voice from behind her. The teenage boy immeadiately set her down and looked down to where the voice called from. Sitting in a wheelchair, was a older woman who had the same matching white hair as the two siblings, who had previously wheeled in from a doorway to the right of the massive foyer.

"Idunn!" Anna called as she leaned down to hug the older woman.

"Oh, Anna! You're back!" The older woman responded equally as excited. Elsa looked pleased from off to the side as Olaf came up to her.

"Is that Anna?" He asked.

"Yes." Elsa responded.

"Is she staying?" The boy asked sweetly as he looked up at his mom.

"I don't know." She looked down at him with a sad smile. He smiled up at her.

"Why don't you ask?" Olaf looked distractedly around as Jack and Idunn gawked over Anna.

"It's so good to see you! Are you staying for brunch?" The older woman asked. Olaf walked over to the redhead as she affirmed that she would. He grabbed onto the long sleeve sweater that Anna was wearing.

"How long are you staying?" The boy asked her. She looked down at him and smiled and looked up at the family.

"I was thinking of moving back into town." Anna responded and Jack and Idunn excitedly started shooting questions back at Anna about where she was staying and if she had a job.

"If you need a place to stay you know you can stay here." The older woman offered.

"What about your husband?" The teenager piped in, too oblivious to know that he had asked too much.

"Jack." Elsa cut off the thought and he looked back confused until he saw Anna.

"I'm filling for divorce." Anna answered looking down. Ashamed about her broken relationship.

"Congrats!"

"Jack!" The siblings made eye contact, and he noticed that she seemed angry and stressed. "Let's go eat. I know I'm starving." She smiled and changed the topic. Anna looked up at her and smiled, thankful that the topic was avoided for now.


	4. Chapter 4

Brunch was much the same. Jack continued to say innapropriate things about Hans. He had apparently seen him at the last gala and wasn't impressed. Olaf though had been quite enjoyable for both girls. His constant chatter as he ate carefully was adorable and both were distracted as he described his night with his uncle. "Let me show you! I made it all!"Olaf explained as he grabbed Anna's hand.

"Okay buddy." She looked down at the boy sweetly. He led her out of the dinning room by the hand.

"Elsa, Can you stay?" Idunn asked as Elsa stood up to follow her brother, son, and friend.

"Yeah, Mom. What's up?" The blonde asked as she moved to take her mom's wheelchair handles and pushed them out of the same door that the boys and Anna had taken but turned left down the hallway down four rooms to the study.

"She can stay here." Idunn offered as Elsa shut the door behind her.

"Mom, she can stay with me." She tried to look convincing.

"I'm sure she could, but Olaf sleeps very deeply, are you sure that Anna still does?"

"It was okay—I'm okay." She responded quickly.

"So she spent the night?" Her mother questioned gently. Elsa looked down at her feet then.

"She showed up at midnight. She was on the porch crying, Mom." She looked up then and made eyecontact with her mother as she went on to explain. "She's so sad. I don't even know what's happening."

"I kow honey, but you have to focus on you. Have you thought about talking to Oaken again?" Idunn carefully studied Elsa's reaction to that question. "I just, he doesn't sleep through everything anymore. I worry about you." She looked up at Elsa and smiled. "I'm here if you need anything but I know, I get it." Her mother confided. "I still sleep in the East Wing."

"I know, mama, but I can do this." Elsa responded resolutely. For the first time in years, she was sure.

"Okay, darling. I just worry." Idunn responded, prepared to give Elsa all the support she would need.

* * *

"I made all these. And this is the excavator. Mommy bought me the set and helpt me built it." Olaf explained as he showed Anna his room in the manor. Shelves where installed all around the room as if it was a library, but every shelf was covered in erector sets, legos, and k'nex.

"This is so cool! And you made it with Elsa?" Anna asked, "Hey Olaf."

"Yes, missus Southern?" Olaf asked.

"You can call me Anna."

"What is it Anna?" The boy asked again as Anna smiled at his prononciation of her name.

"Where's your daddy?" She asked.

"He works in the kitchen. But mommy says he loves me but can't meet me." The boy looked down off at his sculptors in distracted pain.

"What's his name?" She questioned.

"Kristoff." The name didn't go unrecognized.. Elsa had said it earlier to Allistair right in front of the red head.

"Do you want to go meet him?" She asked the boy.

"Yes!" The little boy looked up so excited.

"Well then let's go see him." Anna suggested.

"Yea!" Olaf turned to the door and threw it open. "To the Kitchen!" The boy called and dashed off while Anna followed slowly laughing to herself at the boy's antics.

* * *

"Olaf! Where are you?" Anna called as she walked into the kitchen worried. She looked around the corner and saw Olaf standing over a large blonde man who was curled into the fetal position crying into his arms. "Are you okay?!" Anna leaned down to the large man and put her hand on his back to comfort him. He jerked away from her and pulled himself up before looking away from the both of them.

"What are you doing here?" He asked angrily, personally blaming her as tears continued to flow down his cheeks.

"Olaf wanted to meet Kristoff. Is that you?" The redhead tried to explain worried that she had done something to drastic just for answers.

"Yes that's me, but he's not supposed to be here." The man responded, looking down at the little boy.

"Oh..." Anna looked confused then.

_Wasn't this supposed to be his father? And if Elsa was the mom, does that mean she was with the help? But she said she was gay._

"I'm going to have to ask you leave." The man said and looked away from both of them.

"Olaf!" They both heard Elsa's voice. She sounded terrified and angry. The redhead froze hearing that voice. She had only heard Elsa so upset on one occasion. That was when her and Hans had their first fight. "Olaf! Where are you?" She called again, and Anna didn't speak or move as she stood in fear. Kristoff watched as the girl stopped.

"He's in here." The man called.

"Kristoff, I'm so-" Elsa said as she went through the hallway through the kitchen. She stopped when she entered the room. Kristoff had red puffy eyes from crying, and Anna looked terrified, while Olaf looked confused. "Anna, take Olaf back to his grandmother." Elsa said not looking at her still frustrated.

"But Elsa-"

"Not now Anna. Go." She spoke cold and empty granting no room for argument. The redhead grabbed the boy's hand and walked him back out of the kitchen. She heard only the beginning of Elsa's apology to Kristoff.

"I'm so sorry. He knows he's not supposed to-"Elsa's voice carried past to Anna in the hallway as she looked down at the young boy.

"I wanna see grandma." The boy looked up at Anna and grabbed her hand.

"Okay." She responded, and walked along with him.

* * *

They found Idunn in the study. Olaf launched himself at the bookshelf and started pulling books down.

"Are you alphabetizing again?" Idunn asked the boy amusedly from where she sat at the desk.

"Mommy changed the order." The boy called behind himself as he went to the bookshelves distractedly babbling to himself as he read out letters to himself and singing the ABC's quietly to himself.

"Idunn?" The redhead asked.

"Yes dear," She turned in her wheelchair and smiled at the young girl.

"Olaf is- I mean- He's sweet- But- Elsa said-" Anna's rambling rolled through all her questions but she couldn't figure out how to phrase it or even put together a coherent sentence.

"Elsa can explain it in the future. I'm not really sure how it all worked out." Idunn turned to face her grandson and smile. "I'm just glad it did." Olaf reached up towards a taller shelf at that moment and Anna walked over to him and started removing the books from the higher shelves for him as he went about alphabetizing them, quietly singing the ABC's to himself as he struggled to put them in order.


	5. Chapter 5

That was how Elsa found them after comforting the large, blonde, chef. Anna was singing the ABC's as she reached up to put away the organized books from the top book shelf. Olaf was surrounded by books sitting on the floor smiling up at the redhead. Idunn had previously departed the room. "Olaf, are you okay?" Elsa asked as she entered the room.

"Yes mommy. Anna and I are organizing books." He looked up smiling.

"Is she putting them in the right spot? She used to put them in the wrong place when I organized so I'd have to fix it when she left." Then the blonde laughed as Olaf looked up suddenly terrified. Anna turned towards the door at that point.

"I only did that cause otherwise you wouldn't be able to organize anymore! And I was four!" Anna pouted.

"Well Olaf is four so I hope you're not ruining it for him." She snarked back.

"Mommy! What if she's messing up my titles!?"Olaf screamed, almost crying.

"I'm sure she's not, baby." She answered, scooping him up and showing him his completed titles. "See? It's okay." She smiled while holding him. "You know Olaf, Anna used to help me organize all the books in the library."

"The entire Libarry?! That must've taken for ever!" The small boy responded.

"It was quite a feat. But I think somebody needs a nap so he can wake up and organize all the books." She smiled craddling him and poked his nose.

"Mommy, I'm not tired. I wanna play with you and Anna." He looked up at her then pouting.

"I know buddy, but it's nap time. And we can play when you wake up, okay?" She smiled, easing what could easily become a tantrum. "Do you wanna go home?" She asked.

"Yea! Home!" Olaf exclaimed excitedly while he squirmed out of his mom's arms and took off running again out the door to the study towards the main entrance they had come in.

"How do you keep up with him? I don't remember you being in that good of shape." Anna joked, worried that Elsa was still mad about whatever had previously occurred in the kitchen with Kristoff.

"He keeps me on my toes that for sure. But if we want to stop him from running home we should go catch him at the door." Elsa smiled to herself at memories of Olaf's antics.

"Elsa, with having a son, I can get a hotel." Anna babbled abruptly to herself following after Elsa out of the study. "I understand if you don't have the space or with his level of excitement, I mean you don't want me on top of all of that. And anywho I hadn't planned any of this. I don't even know what's going on with me let alone you-"

"Anna. Come home with us. I'll explain it." Elsa asked.

"Okay, but Olaf. He's Kristoff's son." The blonde nodded.

"I'm his mother. Kristoff couldn't take care of him, so he's all mine."

"What about-"

"We can talk about it at home." Elsa answered, shutting down the redhead's line of questioning.

"Okay." The younger girl despondently answered knowing that a conversation about Elsa's son was certain to lead to her own explaination of the last five years. As they walked down the hall to the living room, the tension slowly dissolved as Anna reached out for the blonde's hand. Her actions were cut off by Elsa's voice.

"Olaf, if you go out that door without me, I'll have Allistair tickle you!" She screamed to her son. Jack met them at the door.

"You already leaving?" He asked his sister.

"Yeah, it's nap time for Olaf." She explained.

"Okay. You coming on Thursday?" Jack asked.

"Of course. I gotta be there to watch you graduate high school." Elsa smiled at her brother with pride.

"OH MY GOSH! Yeah! You're graduating! I have great timing!" The redhead exclaimed as she stood at the door, smiling up at the young man

"Good thing you left your husband, right as I reach adulthood." Anna blushed bright red. Jack grabbed her hand and stooped low to kiss her knuckles. "I'm an adult now, Anna. And I've always loved you." He added as an afterthought, leaving Anna in silence as she blushed uncomfortably before laughing. He released her hand. "Elsa and I used to fight over you when we were little, you know?"

"And with that, goodbye Jack." Elsa said grabbing Anna and pulling both her and Olaf through the door to the car that was sitting right outside the door as Allistair climbed out of it.

"Have a good afternoon, Miss Arrendelle. Miss Southern. Mister Arrendelle." Allistair told each person in turn.

"Byebye Allistaaa!" Olaf called as he wrapped his arms around the large, young, man's legs. The butler scooped the little boy up and put him in a carseat that Anna had missed on the trip to the manor before Elsa pulled out of the driveway.

* * *

When they arrived at the house, Anna looked at it in the daytime for the first time in years. The house was white with a wrap-around porch. It was created in the late 1800's as a farm house, but now it just housed the small family of Arrendelle. Elsa parked and climbed out, opening the backseat she picked up Olaf and carried him, asleep, to the house. When she got to the porch she realized that Anna was still next to the car. "You coming?" She teased.

"Yeah, I just got distracted." The girl called back blushing, as the blonde went inside. The redhead quickly followed after the mother and young son into the house. When she looked around however, she didn't see either of them from the foyer, or the living room that was attatched to it, in fact, Anna didn't know where either of them could be until she heard a sound upstairs. She climbed the steps, following the noise, and there, in the first bedroom, was Elsa tucking Olaf in as she sung quietly to put him back to sleep after she jostled him from the car.

"You're beautiful." Anna said quietly, but Elsa still heard it in the quiet room. They both blushed as the blonde walked out of the room. She shut it slightly, but still left it slightly open.

"Thank you." Elsa spoke quietly enough that she didn't think she'd wake up Olaf. "Let's talk." She smiled at Anna.


	6. Chapter 6

p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Then let's talk, downstairs?" Anna asked./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yes," Elsa said as she led both of them away from Olaf's bedroom door, downstairs to the couch in the livingroom. "Would you like something to drink?" She asked after sitting in silence, not knowing where to start./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I left him." The redhead burst out, giving the conversation that was sure to be painful a start. "I guess. It wasn't working. You were right! He was angry. I didn't know what to do. I planned it. To leave him. But I dunno, it still doesn't feel real, you know? I mean, I'm not an idiot. I know he was cheating on me. And he was angry and I was done. I didn't want it anymore. You know? Me and him. But he did. And after the wedding I knew it was a mistake. During the wedding even. As we said our vows. But I didn't know how to fix it. I didn't know how to go back in time to where we used to be. I couldn't fix it. And I couldn't come back, cause my parents were gone. I didn't have anything left. I was alone, and stuck with him and I just wanted to be back here. For years I wanted to come back but it didn't seem fair. I didn't have anything to give. I don't have anything." She stopped to sniffle, and then continued. "And I guess the reason it happened last night was I was out drinking with a friend and I was telling Merida about it. That's my friend. I told her about Hans. Anywho she said I should go back. I mean I never said who you were. You deserve privacy. But she told me I should go back to my parents and I don't have any parents, you know? So when I told her she told me I should go home to my family. And that was so hard to begin with, cause like, they're gone, and I don't have anyone else, but, you know, I just—I could only think of you when she said family though so I got on a plane. I stopped by the house and I left a note for Hans. It only said goodbye. I didn't even know what to say. We couldn't even connect in the end. I had nothing else to say. I can ramble on to strangers for day about everything and nothing but I couldn't even speak to him anymore. I was done. And I didn't bring any of my things cause I didn't have anything. They were all things he got me, and I didn't even want any of it. And I don't know what I'm gonna do but your my family and I couldn't be alone anymore." She broke into tears then and Elsa wrapped her arms around her./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""It's okay." The blonde cooed in her ear. "You can stay here. Or in the manor. We're your family." She rubbed Anna's back as she held her. "It's okay Anna. I'm here."/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I love you." The redhead muttered out between her fingers and her tears./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I know, I love you too."/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Not the same way though. /spanspan style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Elsa thought as she continued to rub her back./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Anna pulled her hands down from her face and pulled the older woman closer to her. She sat there crying for a few minutes into the blonde's shoulder as they both cried for lost love./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Can I stay?" Anna asked, her voice muffled from Elsa's shoulder./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Of course you can. I wouldn't have it any other way." She answered while smiling as she rubbed Anna's back trying to calm the tears. They both sat like that, until the silence was broken by the rambling redhead./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""But Meg? I mean she might not like it. I mean I wouldn't like it if I were Meg! Not that we would do anything! I mean—not that I wouldn't want to—I mean, you're my best friend I wouldn't—I don't want to, not because of you or anything. I mean you're goregous-" Anna stopped then with a goofy grin on her face before shaking her head. "I just mean if I was Meg I wouldn't really want-"/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No!" Elsa cut her off, turning bright red. "Meg isn't—I mean—She comes by when Olaf isn't home and—There's nothing—We're not—She works for me!"/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Okay...? So she won't have a problem? I mean I'll have my own room, right?" The blonde nodded quickly in response. "But I don't want to overstep my bounds."/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No overstepping! You're my bestfriend." Elsa was still bright red and didn't know how to explian it. "Meg and I have sex." She put bluntly hoping that would cover it./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I'd assume. I mean—If you're dating."/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Meg and I aren't dating!" Anna stopped for a second upon hearing that./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You're having an illicit sexual affair with an underling that has no romantic ties?" The redhead questioned. The blonde nodded in response, refusing to look at Anna as a telltale blush spread across her cheeks, highlighting her freckles. "Well..." The redhead responded and they both sat in silence, pressed against each other on the couch, uncomfortable and tense, but pleased in each other's arms. The silence was broken again by Anna before it got too stiffling. "So Olaf?" She asked trying to change the subject./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You know much of what has happened three years ago, yeah?" The blonde asked stoically, all trace of emotion of any kind wiped from her voice./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yes." The redhead responded, wondering what this had to do with the news story she had read three years ago about Adgar./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""He killed someone." Elsa said quietly./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Oh God. Who?" Anna asked./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Olaf's mother. She used to work for us. In the kitchen. With Kristoff." The older woman explained with the same detatched empty voice, as she explained./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""He reminds him of her. That's why he was crying." The redhead came to the conclussion aloud./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yes. That's why Olaf isn't allowed to see him. When he grows up and they can both face it together, they'll be family again." Elsa quietly explained./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Where will that leave you?" Anna asked suddenly, worried for her best friend. Silence was her only answer as they both reached the same realization, she would be alone./spanspan id="docs-internal-guid-4292df04-7fff-f12d-b193-baceab616797"/span/p 


	7. Chapter 7

Elsa woke up to screaming from upstairs. She immediately untangled herself from the couch, which both her and Anna had managed to fall asleep on again. She made her way to the front stairwell and started to climb towards the screaming that she could now determine to be her son. The first time it had been terrifying.

_Olaf's screams carried into the kitchen after the two-year old's year of silence. Elsa turned away from the granite counter tops, leaving behind the vegetables she was previously chopping as she took off at a sprint towards the stairs, holding a knife the entire time. She climbed the stairs and threw open her sons door to see the unconcious boy screaming loudly while he cried. Elsa made her way to his bedside and gently shook him awake. The small boy was still shaking with sobs as he looked up at Elsa. "Momma?" The boy called._

"_Sh. I'm right here." Elsa soathed as the boy fell back to sleep._

Olaf had only been easier to take care of after that. He no longer remembered his own mother and she had really taken up the position, as she towed him from therapist to therapist trying to explain the dreams that plagued her lovely son. When diagnosed with night terrors there was only more to bond about. Elsa had been diagnosed with night terrors herself early in her life that hadn't plagued her in decades, but ever since her 23rd birthday the night terrors had weighed hard down on herself. This gave the two something to bond over. As Olaf would lay in his bed and Elsa would sit on the edge comforting him, he would tell stories, as if possesed, about shadows and monsters, everywhere, screaming as they closed in on him. When these stories would end, the young boy would look up concerned at his mother and ask about her dreams. So Elsa lied. She lied as she told him fabricated stories about falling, bleeding, being attacked, because she could not tell him the truth. She could not explain to her four year old son the horrors she experienced daily at the hands of a neglectful father who spent day in and day out locked in his own study ignoring them, while Idunn had run the house, had run the business, had taken care of the children. She could not tell her son that the night terrors that plagued her were not those fabricated late at night to make her sympathetic son worry less for her, but rather memories, the only firm ones she has had of her father since the accident. The memories that plagued her were things she couldn't change, things she couldn't protect, because her father had already ripped them away from her.

Elsa was reminded of all this, as she appreciated the first night's sleep that she had had since the accident. When she made it upstairs to his room, it was only seconds later, and as she eyed him she knew Olaf would soon go from whimpering to full blown screaming if she didn't stop him, so she climbed onto the bed and whispered to him till the whimpering stopped. Elsa kissed her son on the forehead, and still feeling tired, she pulled the blanket over herself and wrapped her arms around her son as they both drifted off to sleep, neither noticing the redhead in the doorway looking on affectionately.

Elsa awoke to an uncomfortable feeling in her back as she looked about herself. She immeadiately recognized Olaf's bedroom but upon looking around she did not see the little boy, so she threw the blankets off herself and climbed out of the bed. Upon reaching the stairwell, she was greeted with a pleasant smell, as she walked down to the foyer then through the living room to the kitchen. There she was greeted with a pleasant sight of her son and bestfriend in aprons as the redhead stood by the stove and Olaf stood on a chair. "Hey." Elsa's voice croaked in greeting.

"Mommy!" The little boy turned around as he twisted around in his chair to see the blonde. She moved around the island in the center of the kitchen and slid up behind Olaf's chair and peeked past his shoulder as she hugged the little boy. "Anna's teaching me to make crepes." Elsa giggled, covering her smile with her hand.

"Careful, Olaf. If you tell your mom that you can cook crepes, she might expect them at every waking hour." The redhead teased as she leaned over to pinch the blonde's side. Elsa immeadiately jerked away from her friend and quietly walked away from the kitchen table to watch from the distance.

"Anna." Olaf whispered.

"Yes?" The redhead asked as she leaned down to put her ear next to the small boy's mouth.

"Mommy doesn't like touching." The boy said seriously.

"What are you talking about? We hug all the time. You've seen us." Anna responded confused, and unbelieving.

"Mommy doesn't touch unless she has too." Olaf explained again. This gave Anna pause as the little boy went back to the bowl of batter he was stirring. She thought back to every time Elsa had touched her in the last day and a half. Sure, she had never initiated anything unless Anna was crying, but the blonde had held her through her sleep, but then she thought back to the moment she witnessed in the bedroom earlier.

_After Elsa had climbed into Olaf's bed, Anna had sat in the livingroom watching television until she heard the blonde. Well she was mostly sure that it was the blonde, so she had walked back up the stairs to Olaf's room to check when she found Elsa laying alone in the boy's bed while she thrashed back and forth. When Anna had seen her, she knew immediately it was the same night terrors that had plagued her through childhood but the redhead was certain that the blonde had them under control ever since she was seven. This train of thought about the other things she missed, was interrupted by the bathroom flushing and when Anna walked out of the room, leaving Elsa to toss and turn, knowing that she couldn't help her without waking her up which would lead to a conversation about the past that the redhead had no idea where to begin. She turned towards the bathroom and there stood Olaf, half asleep from his nap, but full of the energy of a four year old, so she had suggested cooking._

Only now, cooking seemed intimidating as she was observed by Elsa who continued to sit at the table smiling at her son as he stirred batter. "Anna, how old are you?" The young boy asked. The redhead spluttered.

"You're not supposed to ask someone there age." She responded.

"It was the first thing you asked me." The litle boy countered.

"25." Elsa answered for her.

"Hey!" Anna yelled at the blonde exasperatedly.

"He's four. You can't cut him some slack?" The blonde teased.

"Well I guess." The redhead resigned.

"Mommy, how old are you?" Olaf asked.

"27." The blonde answered.

"Not for long!" The redhead responded. "In a month your mom's gonna be 28 and then she'll be old." Anna teased. Elsa paused then.

"I suppose that's correct. You know that we're having a party for it?" She asked.

"Well, yeah, of cour—oh. Hans."

"Yeah."


	8. Chapter 8

"I can take him off the guestlist." Elsa responded.

"No! You still have to do business with him, and I mean I'm not that hurt about it. I just—I don't know what I'm doing." Anna responded through sarcastic laughter.

"Who's Hans?" Olaf asked confused.

"My husband." The redhead responded dejectedly.

"But I thought you loved my mommy." The small boy responded quizzically.

"Of course I love your mommy! She's my best friend." Anna explained looking at the little boy.

"But I thought-" Olaf started.

"It's okay, Olaf. Do you want Anna to live with us?" Elsa asked, deflecting the questions she knew were going to come from the small boy.

"Yeah! I like Anna!" Olaf exclaimed looking up at his mom.

"Good, cause I'm staying." The redhead responded excitedly. She turned back to the crepes and flipped them before turning off the heat and reaching up into the cabinets above her looking for plates.

* * *

"Momma! I want to play with blocks." Olaf said through a yawn, after dinner.

"Okay, but only for a little while. It's almost bedtime." His mother responded while she looked at the clock on the stove, while she picked her son up from his seat at the table. She set him down, "Go wash your hands and I'll get the blocks out," as she explained. Olaf took off running for the bathroom down the hall when he reached the ground. "And don't forget to use soap!" Elsa called after him.

"Okay Mommy!" The boy yelled from out of sight. The blonde giggled to herself as she made her way to the living room. Anna followed and plopped down on the couch as she watched her friend make her way to a closet and open it. Inside there were multiple different tubs inside and Elsa looked like she was struggling to lift the top one, so Anna stood from the couch and came around behind Elsa.

"Here, I can get it." The redhead said as she reached forward, before the older woman had a chance to move away. She grabbed the tub and lifted it easily as she pulled it out of the closet and walked it to the middle of the room.

"Thank you." Elsa said from her spot next to the closet where she was stuck. Her skin was flushed and she spoke quietly.

"Elsa-"

"Blocks!" Olaf cried as he saw the box in the middle of the living room. His mother pulled herself away from the closet with the same blush covering her features as she sat herself down next to the tub as her son started pulling out handfulls of blocks and the two got to work while Anna sat on the couch with her own blush watching the work.

"Aha! It's done!" Olaf said as he put a flag on top of the replica they had made of the main manor. Most of the work put in was Elsa's, who single-mindedly put together room after room and outside walls in a meticulously controlled way.

"It is. Just in time for bedtime." His mother said, looking up at the clock that read 8pm. "Ready to clean it up?" She smiled mischeviously, and her son took on the same look. Anna had observed that although they didn't really look the same, there were certain mannerisms that Olaf shared with his mother.

"The monster's coming! Giant Olaf!" The boy screamed as he walked right through the beautifully-sculpted structure. Then the boy sat down amongst his blocks and picked up handfuls, throwing them into the same tub he had pulled them out of. When the last of them were in the box with some help from Elsa, the boy made a break for the stairs. His mother smiled to herself as she struggled to pick up the tub again until she was stopped by strong hands on her own.

"I got it. You go put him to bed." Anna said as Elsa looked up at her.

"Thank you." The blonde said through another blush as she turned to run up the stairs after her son.

"Elsa-" The sound of her name made her stop and turn back. "You're welcome." The redhead smiled, and Elsa turned even redder and nodded before running the rest of the way up the stairs.

* * *

"I was thinking tomorrow we could go shopping for some clothes for you and the like." Elsa explained when she came back downstairs from putting Olaf to bed.

"Okay. I don't have any money though." Anna said as she looked down at her feet, ashamed of the situation she found herself in.

"I kinda expected that. I'm sure it'd be more comfortable if you didn't have to wear all the same clothes from college, though, and you know I've got the money." The older woman replied lightly.

"Oh Elsa! Thank you so much! I don't know how to even make it up to you." The redhead said exuberantly.

"You don't have to make it up to me." Elsa responded, confused.

"I know I don't have to. But you're doing so much for me. I want to do something for you." Anna tried to explain.

"Well I don't know about that." Elsa responded with a wry smile. "You do quite a bit for me. And you're my best friend. I'd do anything for you." The redhead blushed in response to these words.

"Thank you.." She said as she pulled the blonde in for a hug.

They sat like that on the couch wrapped in each other's arms, both thinking that this was the best place to be.


	9. Chapter 9

"Thank you so much for doing this for me." Elsa said as she hung up the phone. "Jack said he'd watch Olaf while we go shopping. The little guy's not really a big fan of the mall. Too many people." She explained as she got togeher a bag of toys for her son.

"He takes after you a lot." Anna responded. The blonde stopped packing and looked up at the redhead on her couch.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well, it really hit me when you guys were playing with blocks last night."

"I wasn't playing with blocks. I was keeping my son preoccupied." Elsa defended.

"Sure, sure. What I mean is he's got all your mannerisms. He gets really into building stuff just like you. Remember when you wanted to be an architect?" Anna waited for a nod before she kept going. "He makes the same faces you used to when you built your little models. And he doesn't like the mall, and from what I remember, you hate that place. Something about it being crowded and dirty right?"

"It is overcrowded and dirty."

"I know but Olaf has an issue with it because he's like you. I think it's sweet. Don't you get what I mean? He might not look like you. I mean, actually to begin with, I thought you had gotten a girl pregnant because he's got the same pale skin and your smile and your mannerisms. But I guess he just got those because he grew up with you. I mean obviously not the pale skin, but, like, do you get what I mean?" The redhead asked.

"Yeah." Elsa smiled slightly. "I guess he is like me." She started picking up the toys again and putting them in a small shoulder bag.

"Of course he is. He's your son." Anna smiled back then she frowned. "Speaking of Olaf, where is the little guy?" She asked, having not seen him yet this morning.

"Listen. I'm sure you can hear him." The blonde responded. As the conversation stopped they could hear a shower running in the distance and the sound of the young boy singing. Suddenly the water turned off and Elsa stood from the floor and made her way towards the dresser. As she did this they could hear the sound of little feet across the wood flooring, and then the door burst open and standing there with only a towel draped around his shoulders stood Olaf, still singing loudly. "The people on the bus go up and down!" He belted out loudly. Elsa turned to him smiling with his clothes in her hands.

"Anna, why don't you get ready while I dress Olaf?" The older woman said as she smiled at her son as he started to spin in circles as he sung.

"Sure." The redhead said as she stood from her spot on Olaf's bed. "But see what I mean? I'm sure I've seen you do that exact same thing." Anna jested which resulted in a bright flush across Elsa face.

"Go get ready." The blonde demanded as she threw a pillow at the younger woman but it only met the door as she had taken off followed only by her own giggles.

"You ready to go?" Elsa asked when Olaf and her made their way down the stairs. The young boy was dressed in almost identical clothes to his mother, dark wash jeans with a red and black plaid shirt on a plain grey t shirt.

"You match!" Anna exclaimed.

"Usually." The blonde responded wearily. Olaf just jumped up and down by the front door.

"Mommy lets me pick our outfits on weekends." He said excitedly.

"That's very sweet of her." The redhead responded while Elsa broke out into a blush.

"Well let's go. Are you excited to play with Uncle Jack today?" The blonde woman asked her young son.

"Yeah! Uncle Jack said that when I come over again we can build the spaceship." The little boy exclaimed while he pulled the velcro off his shoes and jammed his feet in. "Wait!" Olaf commanded as he pulled open the coat closet next to the door. He pulled out some matching shoes to his and smiled up at his mother. "These ones."

"Okay, buddy." Elsa agreed and then put on the shoes the little boy held out for her before taking his hand and leading him out the door with Anna following at their heels. The three of them stepped out into the crisp fall air and made their way to the car sitting out in the drive way.

"So the mall? You hate the mall." Jack said to them upon their arrival.

"Well, yeah, but Anna only has clothes from college and-"

"Say no more. You've grown a little since college, don't you think?" The teenager teased. Anna's face turned red.

"Well, not all of us own large mulitmillion dollar companies, and I didn't really plan my, uhm..."

"Escape." Elsa threw into the conversation. "Now before we go, this is a bag of toys. But Olaf said he wanted to make that spaceship erector kit I bought on friday for the other night." Jack nodded along with what his sister was saying. "I'll be back to pick him up around four. He's already had breakfast obviously, but he'll need lunch soon. And if you and Allistair decide to take him outside remember that he has to be bundled this time." She looked at the boy critically.

"Okay." The teenager turned to the little boy then. "You wanna build the spaceship first or play outside? I'm sure Allistair will play tag with you." Jack grinned. "You two have fun on your date." He said as he grabbed the bag and the little boy's hand leading him to the manor.

"It's not a date!" Elsa screamed at his back while she turned bright red and he giggled maniacally as the door shut behind him.


	10. Chapter 10

"God I cannot believe him. I'm so sorry." Elsa said as she looked down at Anna before the two women climbed into the car.

"It's okay." The younger spoke as she looked down and blushed. "He hasn't really changed much since he was younger."

"That's true." Elsa replied, and it was like all of the discomfort of her brother dissipated. Anna looked out the window as the blonde smiled thoughtfully down the street.

"Look! There's the high school!" The redhead said as she pressed her face and hands to the glass of the window. "Remember when we ditched and hid in the woods for the hour."

"I had a free block actually."

"What? I knew it was weird that you agreed." Anna said indignantly.

"I wasn't going to skip my classes, Anna. You didn't even have a good time. It was cold and rainy out and you sat in a bush." Elsa said through a giggle.

"Hey! I had a good time with you. That's The important part!" The redhead replied. The rest of the drive was filled with Anna's endless rambling as she took in the city around her. Not much had changed in Ann Arbor. It was still their home town. It was where all her happy memories lived. It was was where Elsa lived.

"Hey! Can we drive through town?" Anna asked.

"Yeah. Of course." Elsa replied absentmindedly as she headed towards town and away from the highway. The redhead smiled back as she looked out the window to observe the city coming into view before they turned away from it, towards the mall. As Elsa parked the car, they both reached for their items before opening the car door and heading to the entrance doors.

"Where's the H&M?" Anna asked excitedly as she entered and looked around.

"Still in the same place. Don't me you don't remember after all the times you dragged me around here." Elsa retorted.

"Whatever. It's not like I ever forced you to go with me. Anything was better than hanging out at your house. With Jack constantly running around." The younger woman joked back.

"Well better than being at yours at least my mom likes you." The blonde responded walking past Anna and towards the predetermined location.

"Hey! My parent's liked you... Sorta... I mean. They didn't hate you. They were glad you were my friend. They were just like that with everyone." The redhead responded while falling in step beside Elsa.

"Yeah. I guess I'm just lucky they didn't hate me as much as Jasmine." Anna laughed.

"She deserved it. Jasmine was a snob." They both smiled with thoughts of their old life together. Anna's smile though quickly deflated as the loss of her parents and her old friends came to mind. They walked together through the mall with different thoughts running through their heads. They were both filled with loss as Elsa's own mind was plagued with the last four years. She was trapped with the loss she felt from Anna leaving.

* * *

"_Elsa! Hans got a promotion!" Anna said excitedly as she let herself into her best friend's apartment._

"_That's great, Anna! What is it?" Elsa asked encouragingly for her best friend._

"_He's gonna head up a new branch in Florida! How great is that?" The redhead gushed._

"_He's moving to Florida?" The blonde lit up with excitement at the prospect._

"_We're moving to Florida!" The younger woman shouted. Still excited. Not seeing the look of hurt that flashed over the older woman's face._

"_You're moving to Florida?" Elsa questioned, looking distraught and confused._

"_Well of course. He's not gonna move halfway across the country without me!" Anna joked, still smiling, completely oblivous to her best friend's internal struggle._

"_Of course. Are you excited?" The older woman asked animatedly as she tried to figure out the situation._

"_Well yeah! Who doesn't love Florida? The weather here sucks. It's always rainy or snowy. And it's always cold. Florida has so many beautiful beaches." Anna paused thinking more deeply on it. "And it's not like I have anyone to stay here for." That statement cut Elsa like a knife. She knew that the redhead had been distraught about losing her parents but she had shown no signs of depression because of it._

"_Oh..." Elsa said, no longer paying attention as Anna started to talk about packing and plane tickets. "When?"_

"_They want us there at the beginning of next week."_

* * *

"That's cute!" The redhead said as she looked at a manikin in the store window, breaking Elsa out of her reverie.

"Yeah. It's okay." The blonde responded, as Anna entered the store, and she followed.


	11. Chapter 11

"Elsa, what do you think of this?" The redhead came out in another pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"It's fine." The blonde replied without looking up from her phone.

"You didn't even look!" The younger woman complained.

"It's just another pair of jeans and a t-shirt, Anna. It's not like you can't tell when something fits." Elsa responded.

"Fine." The redhead responded turning back to the dressing room. She looked around at the clothes that were left and saw the dress she had picked out earlier. She quickly threw it on. "Elsa. Can you come in? I need you to zip me up." She heard the door handle turn moments later and opened it. The blonde stood flabbergasted as she looked at the younger woman's freckled back that was turned to her. Elsa paused for a second as she reached out. The zipper was low enough on Anna that her entire back was showing. The older woman finally reached out without speaking, a blush covering her face, as she pulled the zipper all the way up, being very cautious about touching her friend. Anna turned when she had finished and came face to face with Elsa as neither had taken a step back.

"It looks good." The blonde's wavering voice cut through the awkward silence. The redhead turned red as she turned to look in the mirror, away from Elsa. She stood in a floor length, tight, clubbing dress that was entirely a dark green. The dress was low cut and the blonde was still almost pressed up against Anna in the small dressing room.

"I dunno. You don't think it's a little too tight?" Anna asked skeptically as she looked down at herself. At this moment, Elsa finally looked down at it and was granted with a sight right down her best friend's top.

"It looks great." The blonde reiterated, blushing even more red. The redhead looked up her then and noticed how close they were and took a look down at herself.

"Okay. Thank you." She responded turning back around so Elsa could unzip her. She felt cold hands tracing down her back following the fall of the zipper. Then they both stood there in silence, both of them both red as Elsa pulled her hands back to herself before abruptly pulling away and leaving the room. Anna sighed and pulled off the dress to put on a different outfit. "Elsa, what do you think of this?" She asked as she pulled open the door to see Elsa, still bright red, with her legs crossed and her phone in her hand.

"It's fine." She responded without looking up. Anna released another sigh.

"Okay. I think I'm done here." The redhead said turning back to the dressing room. "Let me get dressed and we'll leave."

"Okay." Elsa said without looking up from her phone still.

* * *

When they checked out, Anna immediately pulled Elsa out of the store and stood in the food court. "I've got to do a little more shopping but you might enjoy the food court more than joining me."

_Oh God. I don't think I could join you for more shopping,_ Elsa thought as she remembered the dress from minutes ago.

"Okay. I'll be right here when you're done. And here." The blonde responded as she passed her credit card to Anna.

"Thanks!" The redhead replied and took off running through the crowds of the mall while Elsa sat and watched her disappear from sight.

**RING RING**

The blonde was brought away from the sight of Anna by her phone.

"Elsa Arendelle Speaking." She answered immediately.

"Hey. What are you up to?" Meg asked.

"I'm at the mall with Anna." The blonde replied warily.

"Oh. That's a shame. I thought maybe we could pick up where we left off on Friday." The brunette teased. Elsa coughed on the other side of the phone.

"Meg. Things are different now, with Anna here." Elsa tried to explain as she ran her hand through her bangs before taking a seat at a food court table.

"Have you asked her out?" Meg asked bluntly.

"What?! No!" The blonde hurried out. "She just broke up with her husband, and I don't-"

"Well if that's your excuse, keep in mind that she left him."

"I know she left him, I just—It's too soon—And—And I—She doesn't even-" The blonde was cut off by laughter on the other line.

"You sound like a high schooler, stuttering over their crush." Meg said through snickers.

"Meg! I'm serious here! I don't know what I'm doing."

"Seduce her." The brunette replied seriously.

"What?" Elsa asked incredulously.

"Like you did me." The Greek woman replied.

"I didn't seduce you. You jumped into my bed." The blonde defended.

"Not without a lot of encouragement from you. Maybe that's all she needs."

"She didn't need encouragement before. She doesn't need it now." Elsa responded definitively.

"Who are you talking to?" Anna asked as she came back with a Victoria's Secret bag.

"No one." The blonde replied quickly.

"Is that her? I could give her encouragement." The brunette needled.

"I appreciate the tip but I gotta go. Thank you. Bye." Elsa hung up before Meg could say anymore. "You ready to go?" She turned to Anna with a smile and a red face.

"Yeah." The redhead responded slightly confused.


	12. Chapter 12

"Who was on the phone?" Anna asked quizzically and Elsa blushed darker.

"No one. Let's just go." The blonde replied and she looked away before standing to walk out of the mall.

"Elsa?" The redhead's voice called and Elsa stopped.

"Yes?" The older woman asked and turned to Anna.

"I appreciate everything you've done for me, but maybe this was a mistake..." The redhead said as she looked down at her feet.

"What?! What's a mistake?" Elsa looked up at Anna.

"Being here. Running to you when things got too hard with Hans." The redhead replied still looking at her feet.

"But we're family." The older woman responded, completely heartbroken.

"But we're not really anymore. I don't know anything about you. I didn't know you had a son. I didn't know you had someone. I didn't even think about the fact that you have your own life." Anna replied, finally looking up at Elsa and knowing that she said the wrong thing as she took in the blonde's red rimmed eyes.

"But I want you to be a part of my life. I love you, Anna." The blonde responded as tears started to flow down her face.

"I know, and the last two days have been lovely, but you and Olaf go back to your lives tomorrow and I'm not sure that I'll fit." The redhead looked unsure.

"We'll figure something out. We'll make it work." Elsa responded intensely. "Don't leave. Not when I just got you back... Where would you go?"

"Back to Hans. I am still his wife."

"You don't have to. We can figure something out."

"Okay..." Anna responded unsure.

"Let's go home." The blonde said and grabbed the redhead's hand and some bags from the floor and dragged her out of the mall.

* * *

The drive was quiet and awkward as the two drove back to the manor, until Elsa broke the silence. "Meg called me." She said to herself mostly.

"Oh..." Anna replied.

"She wanted to know..." The blonde trailed off, not sure what to tell Anna.

"If she could come over?" The redhead joked.

"Sort of but she wants—I like someone. And she, uhm, wants me to go for it." Elsa stuttered through an explanation.

"But I thought the two of you-" The younger woman questioned, confused.

"We are, but that's it. She's not—We're not together or anything." The blonde replied, running a hand through her hair.

"So she was giving you advice on getting with this other girl?" Anna questioned again.

"Yes." The blonde replied, her hands tightening on the steering wheel.

"Wow..." Anna replied, but given some thought she spoke again. "Either she's in love with you or she just really loves you."

"She's my friend." Elsa argued, and the redhead nodded.

"Your best friend without me."

"You are more than just my best friend, Anna. You're my family." The blonde tried to soothe.

"And what about Meg? What about this other girl?" Anna snapped back.

"Meg is my secretary. She's very good at what she does, but she's also a good friend, that's it. And my crush doesn't mean anything. Nothing will come from it." Elsa replied brokenly.

"How do you know that unless you try?" The younger woman questioned.

"I have tried." The blonde responded dejectedly as they pulled back up to the manor and she immediately put the car in park and hopped out. "I'll be right back with Olaf."

"Okay." Anna replied as she was left alone in the car with her thoughts. Although she was soon interrupted by someone next to the car.

"Hello, Mrs. Southern." A large body stood right outside the door, blocking the light.

"Hello Allistair. How are you today?" The redhead asked the bodyguard.

"I'm quite alright. How are you today, ma'am?"

"I dunno..." Anna replied dejectedly. "I don't know how I'm supposed to pick back up life again, I feel like I missed everything. I mean, everything's different now. She has a kid and I'm just her childhood friend waiting around for her. I guess It's only deserved." The redhead giggled then. "I did run away to the other side of the country with someone I knew was no good."

"Why does the quality of the other person affect running across the country?" A new voice cut in and Allistair moved she saw that it was Kristoff, standing a few feet from the car smoking a cigarette.

"I think I could get through anything with the right person." Anna responded dreamily. Kristoff snorted through cigarette smoke.

"That's ridiculous." He laughed.

"Why is that?" She responded indignantly.

"There are no heroes in this world, _Mrs. Southern." _He replied cruelly. "The only person who can make it better for you is you."

"That's not true. Just like everyone else in this house, I have Elsa." This gave the large young man pause.

"I suppose that's true. If there are any truly good people in this world it's her." The man smiled an easy grin at the thought of the blonde.

"Are you-"

"Okay, Olaf! Let's go home." Elsa said as she walked out the door with the little boy in tow. "Kristoff, Allistair." She greeted.

"Hello, Ms. Arrendelle." Allistair greeted first. Kristoff threw his cigarette to the side and stomped off to his own car with no greeting, before jumping in and driving off. Elsa immediately looked down at the little boy whose hand was in her own. He was jumping up and down, completely oblivious to what had occurred.

"Come on, baby. Let's go home." She said smiling down at her son while her thoughts raged.


	13. Chapter 13

After they had tucked Olaf in it seemed that the blonde had just vanished. She had retreated to the study. "Hello." Elsa said immediately upon picking up the phone.

"Hi Elsa. How's Olaf?" A voice called from the other end of the phone.

"He's fine. I just put him to bed, although there was something I wanted to talk to you about in relation to him." The woman responded.

"Sure, what is it?" Filtered through her cell phone.

"You really hurt his feelings today. I really think it's time to take steps together." Elsa replied.

"I did? I'll talk to Oaken, and I'll figure something out."

"Okay. I thought maybe just an hour or two with the three of us once a week."

"The three of you?"

"Yeah, Olaf, Anna, and I. Do you have a problem with that, Kristoff?" Elsa asked rhetorically.

"No, but who's this Anna chick? I don't want strangers around my son, Elsa." Kristoff gritted out through clenched teeth.

"Anna isn't a stranger. Olaf really likes her, and as do I."

"How well do you even know her? I've worked at your house for the last six years and I've never met her before not even when your dad went total nutjob on my life." Kristoff huffed.

"Kristoff, drop it now." The woman mumbled out.

"I just don't want any strangers around my son." The blonde chef edged out.

"Kristoff! You are a stranger to your son, do you know that? Anna has spent more time with him than you have since he was born. He is my son too, and if I trust Anna with him than that's enough." Elsa retorted angrily.

"Fuck you!" The phone call ended and Elsa looked down at her phone sighing. She stood up and made her way out of the study, across the foyer, and into the living room, where she was greeted by the sight of Anna curled up under a blanket watching t.v on the couch.

"Hey. Come join me." The redhead said as she saw Elsa entering the room and pulled up her blanket. The older woman climbed under the blanket and snuggled into Anna, pulling her into her arms until they were spooning on the couch.

"Who was on the phone?" The younger woman asked, still distractedly watching what appeared to be Criminal Minds on the t.v.

"It was just Kristoff." This perked the redhead's interest.

"What was it about? What's Kristoff like?"

"I wanted to have him spend more time with Olaf but he went off about something else." Elsa explained. "He's very blunt and doesn't deal well with strong emotions. It's why fighting with him is awful."

"What was he mad about? That sounds awful. He must have trouble with dating."

"Just a lot of things. He doesn't like that he can't have Olaf but he knows that he couldn't take care of him." Elsa stopped for a second. "You know, I don't think Kristoff's dated anyone for four years..." The blonde trailed off.

"Well, isn't that because he's in love with you?" Anna questioned and turned back to the t.v with a small blush.

"What?" Elsa asked, completely confused. "Why do you think that?"

"Oh. Earlier in the car, he said there are no heroes in this world except you and he got this stupid little grin, like a kid with candy."

"That doesn't mean he's in love with me." The blonde reasoned.

"Well he hates me. I thought it was because he was jealous." Replied the younger woman.

"Why would he be jealous of you?" Elsa said.

"Cause we have a close bond." Anna answered matter-of-factly.

"That actually makes sense..." The older woman thought.

"Yeah, but maybe it's nothing... I don't know him." The redhead dismissed.

"I'll have to think about it." Elsa replied and the two relaxed into comfortable silence as they watched the screen.

"Hey Elsa." The younger woman whispered.

"Yes, Anna?" The blonde replied as the redhead started to trace circles on her arms.

"Will you tell me about it?" She asked as she brushed her fingers against a scar. Immediately, the blonde was plagued with terror.

"He used to love me you know?" Elsa asked with a sad smile, as she calmed.

"I know. I can't imagine him ever not loving you." Anna responded as she rubbed comforting circles along her skin.

"I know. I think he still does. I think he's sitting in that padded room feeling sorry because he hurt us. Because he hurt me."

"I believe it."

"I guess it had been building up... Father had set me up with a man." Elsa explained. "His name is Seth. I still see him in town sometimes. We went on a few dates and it was all going okay. He was such a kind man, but..." Elsa trailed off.

"But you're a lesbian." Anna helpfully supplied.

"Indeed." The blonde smiled fondly. "When I broke things off with Seth, Father was sure something had happened. He thought—I don't know. Like—Father thought Seth had done something, and when I finally told him, he became angry. It didn't all happen that night. It was that everything I did was wrong in some way. He started to pick on the little things. My paperwork wasn't good enough. My table manners were wrong in some way. I wasn't polite enough at galas, and it went on like that for months until that night..." Here Elsa paused. "I got mad. He was bullying me like all those kids in highschool and I couldn't take it anymore, so when I left the ballroom, he chased me into another room, calling me awful names and slurs, but then it happened. I didn't care anymore. It had been so long that I had felt ashamed and hurt and I finally just let go and that pissed him off so much more until... Well, he snapped."

"Oh, Elsa, I'm so sorry." Anna said as tears streamed down her face.

"It's okay. It's over." The blonde replied. The conversation was cut short by loud knocking from the front door.


	14. Chapter 14

"Elsa! Open up! I want my son!" Kristoff screamed through the door.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" She asked as she slid on to the porch.

"I'm here to get my son." The burly man responded.

"This isn't the time or place, Kristoff." Elsa replied making sure to maintain eye contact.

"I just want my son." The large man reittirated.

"My son is sleeping upstairs. You need to leave." The woman answered.

"I don't have to do anything. You may be my boss, but..." He trailed off there and his gaze was stuck on the door. "Jess?" Elsa immediately stopped and turned towards the door. There in the entrance way stood Anna, hair dark in the shadow of the porch light.

"Is everything okay?" She asked.

"Jess, I've missed you so much." Kristoff responded, completely unaware of the situation.

"Are you drunk?" The redhead asked and she stepped out into the light. Elsa took a double take at this question.

"Kristoff, we've been over this." The older woman said, and finally the large man deflated.

"I know. I just, I was so mad after that phone call. And I was hanging with Eric and he wanted to go drinking so I thought what the hell." Kristoff ran a hand through his bangs then. "I'm really sorry, Elsa. I know I've made a complete ass out of myself but," He turned his head to Anna then.

"But you don't like me." The redhead supplied.

"No! That's not it at all. It's that you get to have everything I'm missing out on. You just walked right in and made yourself at home and that was so easy for you. I just. I was jealous." Kristoff explains.

"I get it." Elsa nodded in response. "That's why I think you need to start taking steps with Olaf. He already knows that you're his dad and he loves you."

"I get that. It was hard enough before though and now..." He trailed off.

"Well, I think you're gonna be a great dad." Anna added in. Kristoff nodded with a small smile on his face.

"Hey look, I'm really sorry about all this. I'm just gonna go, and leave you to," He stops and looks down at both of them, taking in their outfits, Anna's long shirt and short shorts left her legs revealed, and Elsa was wearing a small tank top and pajama pants. "sleep." Both of the girls flushed under his scrutiny but Elsa was the first to bounce back.

"Let me have Allistair drive you home."

"Thank you." He responded as she made her way into the house to find her phone.

* * *

When she came back from calling Allistair and checking on Olaf, she came out to the porch to find both Anna and Kristoff giggling. "And then we're standing there, completely covered in chocolate, which obviously we can't tell, so Idunn just goes along with it."

"No way!"

"Yeah! She even had us go around the entire ball introducing ourselves to everyone before she suggested we go clean up. You should've seen Els! She was so scared that her mom found out about the fountain but it turned out, Idunn was just messing with us the entire time."

"Allistair is on his way." Elsa stated as she announced her presence.

"Oh. Well, thank you. For not taking this as poorly as you could've." Kristoff responded.

"It's okay. I'm going to talk to Oaken tomorrow and bring up your role as a parent." The older woman stated.

"You're seeing Oaken tomorrow?" The large man asked.

"Yes." Elsa gritted out.

"Okay. Then I have an appointment on thursday and I'll talk to him then." Kristoff responded as a car drove up to the house. "That must be Allistair. I'll catch you later."

"Bye Kris!" Anna called and the older woman turned to face her.

"Kris?"

"Yeah. Like Kristoff, but shorter. Anywho, I'm glad I got to know him better if I want to trust him with my little Olaf." Elsa raised her eyebrow at this.

"Your little Olaf?" The blonde jested.

"What can I say? We've bonded." Anna said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm sure." The older woman joked.

"Ma'am!" Allistair called from down the stairs.

"What is it?" Elsa immediately answered.

"You have a visitor. He is staying in the main manor but said he would swing by to come visit Mrs. Southern tomorrow." This gave both the woman pause and they made eye contact.

"Hans." They said together.

"Allistair." Elsa stated.

"Yes ma'am?" The large man asked.

"You are not to let him near Anna unless I'm here. I have some work to attend to for a few hours so if you could keep him at the main manor until four so we can all sit down and chat." The older woman explained.

"Of course, ma'am. But from what I remember, Mr. Southern doesn't listen well to room's being out of bounds. I have another suggestion if I might..." Allistair said, trailing off.

"What is it, Allistair?" Elsa snapped.

"Take Mrs. Southern with you to the office." The man answered. "Now I must take Kristoff home. I will do my best to keep Mr. Southern in the main estate."

"Thank you." The older woman said and Allistair took his leave, driving off with Kristoff. Both woman turned back to the front door, and Elsa wrapped Anna up in her arms and pulled her upstairs.

* * *

"Elsa... Can I?" The redhead asked, gesturing to the bed.

"Of course. Come here, Anna." The blonde responded as she cuddled deeper into the bed and held a blanket aside for the redhead. They fell asleep like that, curled up together, dreading the next day.


	15. Chapter 15

Elsa awoke to the blaring of her alarm clock and tried to ignore it by sliding down into her pillows. "Turn it off." Came a voice near her. This gave her pause and she opened her eyes.

"I can't just turn it off. We have to get up." She answered. This made the redhead jolt upwards and look down at the blonde beside her.

"Elsa. Wha—Did we-" Anna muttered out.

"Did we what?" Elsa asked looking up at her.

"Nothing." She responded as she turned back into the older woman's arms.

"Hey! No going back to sleep!" The blonde said as she pulled her arm out from under Anna's head.

"But I'm so comfy." The redhead replied, cuddling deeper into the blankets.

"I don't-" Elsa started.

"Momma." Olaf called as he wandered into the blonde's bedroom.

"Good morning little man." She said turning, to him and smiling.

"Good morning, Momma." The small boy responded as he approached the bed and climbed on. "Momma, why is Miss Anna in your bed?" He asked and Elsa's skin turned bright red in response.

"I just had a bad dream." The redhead responded. The little boy nodded and wedged himself under the blankets, into his mother's arms, who had turned to face him, pulling him into a hug as Anna slide up against Elsa's back.

"Hey, buddy. It's time to get up for school though." The blonde said, smiling down at the little boy in her arms. Olaf looked up at his mom and smiled.

"Then I guess it's time to get up." The little boy pulled himself from her arms and climbed back out of the bed trying to pull Elsa with him.

"Anna, let me go." The blonde teased as she was stopped by the redhead's arms around her stomach.

"But I don't want to get up." The younger woman whined as she pulled Elsa closer to her, and nuzzled her shoulder.

"But I have to." The older woman replied, and Anna immediately released her.

"Fine." She grumbled and turned around into the blankets.

"Olaf, will you do something for me?" The blonde asked, turning to her son.

"Of course, Momma. What is it?" The boy looked up concerned.

"Will you keep Miss Anna awake while I shower and make breakfast?"

"Sure." He responded with a smile before climbing back onto the bed. "Miss Anna. Wake up." The little boy begged as he climbed over to the blanket covering the younger woman's head before pulling on it.

"No." The blanket mound grumbled as Elsa turned to walk out of the room.

When the blonde returned, she was confused at the sight she found. Olaf lay on her side of the bed, starfished in all directions with his eyes closed, next to a blanket mound. "Olaf." The boy immediately started to stir, and then his eyes were opening and tears were flowing down his face.

"Momma." He sobbed, and she strided over to him and pulled him into her arms. She started to rub his back as the blanket mound stirred. Anna peaked out and made eye contact with her, mouthing 'is he okay?' Elsa nodded in return.

"You're okay baby. Sh. You're okay." The blonde soothed as the little boy seemed to calm down.

"Momma, it was dark and I couldn't find you." The boy babbled.

"I'm right here, buddy." Elsa responded pulling the boy tighter to her as the redhead watched. They sat like that for mere moments before Olaf had calmed down.

"I'm hungry." The boy said next, which made the blonde laugh.

"Then I guess it's time for breakfast," she replied, pulling away from the boy and getting off the bed. The little boy followed and Anna chose this moment to climb out of bed. Elsa looked back at her from over the bed as Olaf pulled himself out of it. "So now you choose to wake up?" The blonde asked.

"Well, you said breakfast." The redhead responded with a smile. The older woman just laughed in reply and the three of them made their way down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Yay! Waffles!" Olaf called as he saw the heaping plate of food, as he ran to the table. The woman smiled as they watched the boy climb into his seat as they walked to the table. The three of them sat down and each grabbed a waffle from the middle plate. Anna grabbed a container of Nutella close by and Elsa grabbed the syrup. As the blonde lightly covered her son's waffle with syrup, the younger woman dumped almost half the container of Nutella on her waffle. "Oh, no, Miss Anna. That's too much. You'll get sick." Olaf said when he looked at her plate. This led to the redhead giggling.

"Did your momma tell you that?" She asked.

"Yes, but last Halloween, I went trick or treating and had too much chocolate and got a stomachache." The boy responded as his mother began cutting his waffle into bite sized pieces and then reached for a covered tray of the table. When she pulled off the lid, she grabbed two sausage links from inside and put them on Olaf's plate. "Thank you, Momma." The boy replied and Elsa smiled down at him.

"You're welcome. Now dig in, before it gets cold." The blonde responded and Olaf nodded before digging in to his food. Anna took this moment to look up and was awestruck by the sight, Elsa was dressed in a knee-length pencil skirt, with a blazer over her blouse, eating dantily, while her son, with almost the spitting image of his mother, ate meticulously and carefully in his spaceship footy pajamas. The redhead smiled to herself as she took in her new home.


	16. Chapter 16

"Alrighty. Go get dressed while I clean the dishes, okay, Buddy?" Elsa said as the three of them cleaned their plates.

"Okay, Momma." The small boy replied and took off to his bedroom. The blonde stood and gathered up the plates to carry them to the sink. Anna followed her, holding tightly to her coffee cup as Elsa began rinsing off dishes before putting them in the dish washer.

"You're happy." The redhead said suddenly. The older woman looked at her and smiled.

"Yeah. I guess I am." Elsa replied before turning back to the sink. "But you should go get ready or Olaf's going to get mad when he has to wait." The redhead smiled over her cup before taking one more swallow before retreating from the kitchen, up the back staircase, and to the guest room where they had amassed all her clothes. All of them sat neatly folded on the bed where Elsa had left them. Anna approached the bed and looked at her options. She quickly grabbed an outfit on top before making her way back down the stairs to the voice of Olaf.

"Isn't Miss Anna almost done? I'll be late Momma!" The exasperated four-year old complained.

"You will not be late. Just be patient, darling. I'm sure she'll be down soon." Elsa calmed as she searched through a laptop bag before pulling out her keys.

"Miss Anna!" Olaf called when he saw her. "Let's go! Let's go!" He called.

"Wait for Anna to put on her coat and shoes." His mother reprimanded.

"Sorry for rushing you, Miss Anna." The little boy said looking up at her as the redhead pulled on her shoes while sitting on the floor.

"It's okay, Olaf." She smiled at him and he looked up excited once more. The redhead stood up and his grin grew as he started to bounce up and down.

"Okay. Let's go, little man." Elsa said as she opened the door. When the frame completely opened they were surprised by three men standing at the doorstep.

"Ms. Arrendale, I was wondering if I could go with you to take Olaf to school today, Kristoff immediately said upon seeing Elsa. The blonde woman stopped for a second looking at the three of them.

"Of course, Kristoff. How about you get Olaf in his seat?" Elsa responded. "Allistair, can you help him with the car seat?" She said looking to the man to Kristoff's right.

"Of course, Ma'am." The body guard responded. Olaf squeezed himself past the door to run outside at this but stopped when he bumped into the third person.

"I'm sorry about that, son. Are you okay?" The man asked bending down to the small boy's height. The boy didn't respond and immediately hid behind Allistair's legs.

"Mr. Southern, do what do I owe this pleasure?" Elsa smiled and Anna exhaled quickly and hid further behind the door.

"I'm here for my wife, Elsa." The tall man replied. "We had a small fight and she took off."

"Well, that seems very much within her rights, Hans." The blonde responded.

"Of course it is." The man smiled with boyish charm. "I just want to work it out."

"What if she doesn't want to work it out?" The older woman asked.

"I don't know what I'd do. I just can't give up. I love her, Elsa. You can understand that, can't you?" Hans pleaded.

"What is—"

"Hans. We have to go." Anna spoke as she pushed around the two and gestured towards the car.

"But we need to talk, Anna." Hans begged. The redhead looked uncomfortable for a second before confidence graced her face.

"We will. Tonight." She replied and made her way to the door where Olaf and Kristoff were sitting calmly in the back seat chatting.

"Elsa, will you just talk to her? I can't lose her." Hans begged as Elsa locked the door and started down the porch steps.

"I don't think anything I have to say about you will help your case, Hans." The blonde replied truthfully as she left the man, dumbfounded on the porch before making her way to Allistair. "What was it you needed?"

"Nothing, Ma'am. I had only followed Hans here and stayed to make sure that there would be no argument." He replied stoically.

"Thank you, Allistair." Elsa said as she walked past Allistair, and patted his shoulder as she passed. She walked around the car to the driver's side and climbed in. "Alrighty. Ready for a fun day at school, buddy?" She asked, speaking directly to her son.

"Yeah!" He shouted excitedly.

"What are you learning at school?" Kristoff asked.

"On Friday, I learned how to count to 35. See? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5..." Olaf said, smiling to himself as he counted to Kristoff. The tall, blonde man had a smile of his own that Elsa caught in the rear view mirror as she pulled on to the major road. She had her own matching smile but when she looked over to Anna, she was scowling. "... 33. 34. 35!"

"Wow! Good job, buddy!" Kristoff and Elsa said together, before making eye contact in the mirror and smiling at each other. Anna sighed and rolled her eyes as they continued to drive.


	17. Chapter 17

"Okay, Buddy. Here we are." Elsa said as they pulled up at the Discovery Center. The two blondes climbed out of the car once Elsa parked and as they got out of the car another arrived at the same time carrying Allistair.

"I've come to take you back to the estate after saying goodbye to Mr. Arrendele, Mr. Bjorgman." The bodyguard explained as he also climbed out of his car.

"Thank you, Allistair." Elsa said kindly before Kristoff could respond. He climbed around the car and opened the door and Olaf jumped out. He immediately grabbed the blonde man's hand.

"Parking lots are dangerous." He explained and Kristoff looked down at him dumbfounded before looking around the parking lot and striding to the entrance with Elsa, while Anna sat in the car. In a few moments the two came back to the parking lot and the woman climbed into the car waving goodbye at the chef and bodyguard.

Given some time in the car in silence, Elsa turned to Anna and spoke. "Are you okay?"

"As okay as I can be." The redhead responded as she turned to the blonde with a sad smile.

"What do you want to do?" Elsa asked.

"I want it to be easy." Anna replied. Elsa reached for her hand across the parking break.

"It won't be easy either way." The blonde said apologetically. She turned down main street away from town, towards her work.

"Well that's true." Anna laughed. "I just wish I could go back. And change everything."

"Everything?" Elsa asked, curiosity peaked.

"Everything." The redhead reaffirmed. "I wish I could go back and tell myself that I was right. That when I was standing on that altar I shouldn't have said I do." Anna laughed again, filled with mirth. "I don't even remember the wedding." That was when Elsa looked over at her and saw the tracks of tears rolling down her face.

"I'm sorry, Anna." The blonde squeezed her hand. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I mean it's not. But I did it to myself." The redhead smiled ruefully. "I married Hans even though I knew-" She broke off.

"I knew too." Elsa responded and Anna looked up surprised. "I knew he was a jerk. I didn't think he was a good choice but I was so mad at you for wanting to leave with him that I wasn't looking out for you."

"I never wanted to leave with him, Elsa. I just didn't want to stay here alone. You were going somewhere. You had drive. All I had was him." The redhead said, looking down at their connected hands, while the blonde turned into the parking garage for her work.

"You had me. You had Jack. And my mom." Elsa defended.

"I know but I didn't. It wasn't the same anymore. Not after my parents died. Nothing was the same. I couldn't keep living every day with those memories tainting everywhere I went but when I left it didn't make it any better. I still missed them. And I missed Jack and your mom." The redhead explained.

"And they missed you too. You have a family here, Anna. You're not alone." The blonde reiterated.

"I know that now. I just. I don't know what to do now. I messed up when I chose to marry him and now I don't know what to do." Anna replied overwhelmed.

"Just do whatever makes you happy." Elsa said, looking at her best friend with a truly happy smile.

"But what I want... It will hurt everyone."

"I don't believe that." The blonde paused as Anna looked up at her. "But if that's true, at least you'll be happy." Elsa stopped speaking as she pulled into a parking space in the parking structure under her work and then turned to Anna. "You're only responsible for your own feelings, Anna. Not other people's happiness or pain." The redhead nodded once.

* * *

They made their way inside, both carrying bags and made their way inside. When they got to Elsa's office, Meg was sitting at her desk inside with two coffees. "Good morning, Ms. Arrendele." The bruenette said as she stood up. "And you must be Mrs. Southern. Nice to meet you." She smiled as she reached her hand out to Anna.

"Ms. Baker if you please. And we've already met." The redhead smirked and Elsa swallowed. "We met at Elsa's on Friday. Don't you remember me?" Meg looked at the blonde and noticed her discomfort and then back at the redhead who seemed smug.

"Of course I remember you, Ms. Baker. I've not been thrown out of many beds in my life." The bruenette replied and Elsa started to cough.

"What was your name again? I guess Elsa didn't tell me much about you seeing as how we were busy all weekend." Anna spit back at her, and the blonde started to color bright red.

"Meg Dukakis. It's a pleasure to meet you." Meg replied.

"And you as well." Anna replied but as they both reached out their hands to shake them, Meg looked at the redhead with amusement whereas the redhead looked back with anger. The sound of a throat being cleared jarred them apart.

"Well, we should get going." Elsa cut in and immediately pulled Anna into her office behind her.


	18. Chapter 18

As Elsa and Anna walked into the room, Anna took it all in. It had been years since she had been at the head office of Arrendelle inc. The room had looked nothing like Anna had seen as a child. The dark wood and satin nickel used to remind her of the study at the manor but now, it was obviously Elsa's. It no longer carried the feel of her father. Everything inside the room was different. It was bright, and where there had been hard chairs and wood tables, now there was a couch and t.v. The room no longer spoke of a man that Anna never really knew. Someone that had gone long ago. Instead, now it screamed Elsa. Just in the little things that Anna took in. The blue couch, the less formidable desk, the large amount of toys mounded up in the corner. In fact, as Anna glanced around, she noticed that the room didn't look like an office. It looked like just another playroom. It looked like every room in Elsa's life, geared specifically for Olaf. "Anna! What the fuck was that?" Elsa hissed when they walked into the room.

"She started it!" Anna defended loudly.

"Keep your voice down." The blonde glared, and the younger woman almost took her seriously, until she saw the flush across her face. "This is my workplace." Elsa said, sitting down behind her desk and sighing. "What do you mean she started it?"

"Well, She, uhm. Well, you see-" Thankfully for Anna, she was cut off by a sharp knock at the door.

"Come in." The older woman called, although obviously still put off by the argument, and Meg walked through the door. She handed Elsa a folder as she spoke.

"Your 10 o'clock appointment is in an hour and here are the documents regarding the-" She glanced at Anna then, "- Sales reports." The brunette said, looking closely at Elsa, and smirking slightly when she noticed the CEO's flushed face. She looked back at Anna and saw a matching look as the younger girl sat on the couch.

"Thank you." Elsa replied as she looked up at Meg. A grin was waiting on the bruenette's lips and the blonde grabbed the folder and immediately put it in a drawer. "Was there anything else?" Elsa asked, trying to hurry Meg out the door.

"The contracts for your meeting are-" The blonde cut in.

"I've already reviewed them unless there have been changes." The blonde stated, still red in the face but pushing it off as Meg continued to smirk.

"I have a highlighted copy of all the changes if you'd like to go over it."

"Yes, Please Email it to me. Thank you." Elsa said, dismissing her, while Meg smirked back at her before turning and leaving. The older girl turned to the redhead and sighed. "Anna, what's going on?" The blonde asked, turning her attention to Anna.

"It's nothing. It's just, I think I'm just upset. I mean, I have to talk to Hans later, and what can I even say? He'll never be okay with a no." She started to ramble before she even realized that these things bothered her.

"What do you mean he won't be okay with it?" Elsa asked, worry clouding her eyes.

"I just mean he'll be upset. And the divorce might be hard with him." Anna said curling in on herself, while she began to cry.

"I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to make this easier for you?" Elsa said, reaching out to the smaller woman and grabbing her hand, while smiling comfortingly.

"Will you stay with me through it?" The redhead asked through her knees from her fetal position on the couch.

"What do you mean?"

"Will you just sit with me and comfort me through it? I mean if he yells or something, or if I cry? I don't want him to have to comfort me while I'm dumping him."

"Of course."

"Thank you." They stayed like that in comforting silence until Anna had calmed down. "So what can I do here?" She asked finally, looking around.

"Well, as you can see, I have a t.v. If you can't find anything suitable to watch, I have some video games, but from what I remember, you weren't a fan." Elsa teased, seeing the smile come back to the girl's face.

"I'm sure I can find something to watch." Anna smiled back.

"Okay. The remote's on the coffee table. Let me know if you need anything, okay?" Elsa asked while already turning to her desk where her computer sat. The redhead flung herself down on the couch and reached for the remote before turning to Elsa with her mouth open ready to speak, that is, until she caught sight of her. The older woman was seated at her desk as the morning sun shown in her bright hair and her blue eyes, so lightly coloured still looked so intense as she glared down at her computer, looking back and forth between a sheet of paper and the screen. Anna sat entranced, staring at just this sight as time passed.

When Elsa looked at the clock, she realized it was getting close to leave for the meeting. She stopped working and paused when she noticed that it was silent in the room. _Hadn't Anna turned on the t.v.? _Elsa wondered as she packed up more things and then she looked up, and when she did she noticed that Anna had been looking her direction. _What's she doing? _Elsa wondered, as she noticed the light flush in the redhead's cheeks. The younger woman still made no move as she sat on the couch staring over the back at Elsa. _Is she staring…. At me? _Anna was staring up at her and didn't even look away when she was caught.

"Anna, what are you looking at?" The older woman asked upon standing. The younger woman immediately blushed brighter.

"Uhm, well you see, I was, uhm, thinking, and I- The thing was, uh, I was uhm- I was thinking about something." Anna clarified as Elsa smiled.

"And what were you thinking of?" The blonde asked with a smile and Anna got even redder if that were possible as she started to stutter.

"Uhm, well, the thing is." The younger woman took a deep breathe, released it and spoke. "You're beautiful." Both women turned red at this, and Anna even seemed surprise with the words that came out of her mouth.

"An-" Elsa was cut of by the sound of a knock at the door and the redhead turned away and the older woman released a heavy sigh as she answered the door.


	19. Chapter 19

When Elsa and Anna pulled up at the house, the redhead had already grown silent. A new side of Anna was shown to Elsa. Here was the girl she grew up with, the girl she loved, and here she realised she had never seen Anna fearful. She had never seen her worried like this. Elsa climbed out of the car and went around and opened Anna's door, and held her hand out for the redhead to grab. When she did, Elsa was surprised not only by her grip but also that Anna didn't let go after they climbed out of the car. "Let's do this." The redhead said surprising them both, and Elsa nodded. They climbed the stairs and unlocked the front door before letting themselves in. Elsa wasn't sure what to expect from this conversation between Anna and Hans but she definitely didn't expect him to be standing by the door. He immediately stared at Anna.

"Hans." Elsa greeted, causing him to look towards her before he saw their joined hands.

"Elsa." Hans responded before turning to Anna. "I thought we could talk outside." The younger woman looked down and nodded. Hans turned leading the way to the back door, through the immense house until he caught sight of the girls. "Didn't you want to speak privately?" Hans said, looking directly at Anna, trying to convince her. The younger woman gripped her hand tighter, causing Elsa to respond.

"I'd like to stay." Elsa put pointedly. "Unless you have an issue with that, Mr. Southern?" She baited.

"No issue at all." Hans replied as they made their way to the back.

When they reached the backyard, the deck was all set up with chairs and Elsa, Anna and Hans chose a table and sat.

Elsa looked up from the table to stare at the willow tree in the front yard. Her eyes focused on a carved symbol on the trunk close to the ground. Elsa had seen it every day growing up. "Anna" The name drew Elsa out of her reverie. She looked over at the young couple sitting across from her. Anna, staring down at her nails, while the man looked down on her pleadingly. Hans was begging and pleading. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry." He sobbed into his hands. Anna said nothing, and that's when Elsa's intrigue was peaked. It was violently intrusive to sit and listen to Hans and the younger girl, but she was asked to stay, and _God do I want to know what happened. _She wanted to know what the last straw was, but what Hans said next made her blood run cold. "You know I never meant to hurt you." _No. Please no. _When Hans said this though Anna flinched and she maintained eye contact with her cuticles. "Anna, don't you love me? I never meant to hurt you." That's when it hit Elsa. The reason Anna had come back after years of isolation. The reason why Anna looked so shaken. It was all so clear. Why hadn't Elsa noticed it earlier? How could the way Anna reacted to him not have tipped her off at all? The blonde looked up and saw him put his hands on the redhead's chin to pull her gaze to him. "Please forgive me." He begged, grabbing her arms.

"No." Anna's voice called out quietly. "No. I don't want to go back with you." That's all it took for his face to go rigid as the words set in.

"What? What was that?" He screamed as his hands grabbed her shoulders again and she flinched. He pulled her to her feet as he stood. "Since when?"

"Since-" Anna started.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, Anna! Don't you know any-" Hans screamed.

"Get your hands off her." Elsa cut in, quietly and intensely as she grabbed his bicep and pulled him from the younger girl. "Or I'll kill you." She seethed. He paused for a moment utterly surprised before a smile washed over his face.

"Who's gonna help you? You can't do shit." Hans bellowed before he picked Elsa up by her collar. "Just because you have a crush on my wife, doesn't mean you can get involved in this." He sneered.

"Set me down, Hans." Elsa spat as she grabbed his arm.

"Who's gonna make me, _Ms. Arendelle?_ You?" Hans laughed at that. "What can you do to me?" The blonde smiled in response.

"Quite a bit. Did you want a demonstration?" Elsa baited, and that was all it took for that first punch. Hans let loose against the billionaire as she easily dodged, keeping her eyes in between Anna and her opponent.

"Elsa!" The redhead called worriedly, and the blonde looked over to her.

"Haha. Shouldn't have looked away." Hans jeered as he threw a punch that Elsa ducked from and returned as an uppercut. The man turned to the side and spit blood. "You're gonna pay for that, you bitch!" He yelled. He charged forward again but was stopped by the hands on his shoulders. Behind him, stood Allistair and multiple security guards from the main estate.

"I think Mr. Southern should be escorted to his car." Elsa said, looking at the formidable man.

"Of course ma'am." He nodded and turned to Hans. "Are you ready, sir?" The redheaded man looked around, taking in his crying wife, and the blonde staring angrily in his direction, making him snicker.

"Lead the way." He smiled and as he left he heard Elsa mumble under her breath, I don't have a crush on your wife. He turned back one last time. "I'll see you again, _darling._" He said to Anna and as he left she broke into tears. Elsa squatted in front of her, not knowing what to do as she curled back on to the chair behind her.

"Are you-" The blonde started before she was enveloped in a tight hug. Elsa held the redhead close trying to soothe her. "You're safe now. Shh. I'm here. You're safe."


	20. Chapter 20

"MOMMA! Miss Anna!" Olaf came running out the backdoor straight to the table they still sat at. "Uncle Jack came and got me!" He came closer to them before he noticed the atmosphere. "Momma, are you okay?" Elsa, who was looking up at him from the second he walked outside smiled sadly over Anna's curled body on her lap. "What's wrong with Miss Anna?" The blonde looked uncomfortably between the two, unsure what she could share.

"Remember that man from earlier?" The redhead asked after turning and drying her tears, still halfway on Elsa's lap.

"The scary man with the red hair?" Olaf asked frightened, climbing onto Anna's lap on his mother.

"Yes. Him. Well, I'm upset because he's scary." A sad smile slid onto her face. "At least he's gone now."

"The scary man is gone?" Olaf received nods and then grabbed Anna's hands. "That's great Miss Anna. You should be happy!" The redhead smiled looking down at Olaf before the young boy climbed down.

"I should be happy." She looked to Elsa. "I'm free."

"Of course you are." Said the blonde as she smiled a goofy grin and made eye contact.

A loud voice pulled them away from each other. "Miss Anna? Mommy?"

"Yes, Olaf?" Elsa asked, ushering Anna off her lap and picking up her son.

"You got lost together." Olaf answered.

"What does that mean?" Anna asked in response.

"It means-" The four-year old started to explain.

"Don't-"The blonde tried to stop him.

"Ms. Arendelle," Allistair interrupted. "He has been removed from the premises."

"Where did he go from here?" Elsa immediately asked.

"He had Roger drive him to the airport. Apparently, he ranted and raved the whole way there, complaining about the extra ticket he had already purchased " The large man reported.

That just the redhead off though. "That fucking bastard! He thought I'd go-"

"Anna!" The blonde stopped her. "Allistair, will you take Olaf inside?"

"Of course." He said, comfort returning with the normal set of orders.

The boys both left and as they did, Elsa sighed heavily and turned to Anna. "I'm sorry. I got it right after it came out and I just… Ugh. He makes me so mad." The redhead looked down disappointed in herself. "I'm so sorry." The blonde reached out and touched her arm to stop the apology.

"Olaf has definitely heard every swear word out there. It's just the anger thing mostly…" Elsa paused, knowing the next conversation was going to be hard. "He gets night terrors."

"I know. Just like you do." Anna answered bluntlyy, while the blonde took on the image of a deer in headlights.

"When?" Was the only thing she could ask.

"Two days ago. You had gone to Olaf with his, and I woke up to your voice after. It was the same as before." The redhead looked apologetic as she spoke.

"I assume terror doesn't change no matter how old you are, 7 or 27." Elsa said with a deprecating laugh.

"I know everything about your childhood. I've known you since I was 3 years old and back when I was 3 I could help. I could doothe you back to dreamless nights, but I'm not sure what to do now, and I want to help. But 5 years does a lot of things to change you." Anna smiled back the same way.

"You help me now. You've always helped. 5 years on the other side of the country and there wasn't ever a moment when the thought of my best friend didn't help." The blonde looked seriously into Anna's eyes. "And now, with you home, we can get to know each other again, and we'll fit together again just like before, yeah?" Elsa smiled.

"How is it that we're talking about your problem but you're still comforting me?" The redhead asked as elsa tucked her under her chin and held her close.

"Well, I'm just fantastic like that."

"Olaf! Where are you?" Elsa called. "Mama never keeps in mind that she lives in my mansion and my son is 4." She said to the redhead next to her who laughed in response.

"We used to hide around the manor all the time. Mrs. Arendelle encouraged it most of the time." Anna and Elsa giggled.

"Ms." The blonde said after the laughter died down.

"What?" The redhead asked confused.

"Ms. Arrendelle. My mom divorced him." Elsa said in a quiet voice.

"I'm so sorry." Anna said as the mood went sour.

"One day, we'll sit down with a timeline and I can tell you all about it." The blonde tried to joke.

"As much as that would help, and it would," The redhead looked seriously at her friend before a slight grin spread across her face, "That might be a little morbid."

"While if you're clinical enough, you could separate from it." Elsa continued.

"What did you just say?" I dunn asked as she rolled up with Olaf on her lap.

"Nothing, Mother." The blonde said as she looked down with her mom pressing.

"Alrighty." Ms. Arrendelle looked skeptical. "Did you finish up whatever you need to do?" She asked.

"Did you momma? I'm getting hungry?" Olaf asked

"Yes I did. What are the chefs making today, Mama?" Elsa asked.

"I don't know. I like to stay surprised, but I'm sure Kristoff would have a good idea." Idunn hinted.

"Can we go down to the kitchen, Grandma Idunn?" Olaf asked from her lap.

"Sure. Why don't we see what's to eat and then see if your daddy wants to join us?" Ms. Arrendelle asked.

"YES YES YES! Let's go! Let's go!" Olaf called as she climbed off Idunn's lap and took off running.


	21. Chapter 21

"I thought it was over." Elsa said sitting curled up. She took a deep breath. "I had finally gotten it under control. I just don't know what happened."

"These kinds of things don't go away, and you don't get over this. Your father really hurt you in ways I don't think you've come to terms with yet." Oaken answers, sitting in a chair across from her holding a notepad. "In ways I don't think you've shared with anyone."

"My father loved me." Elsa spat defensively. It left silence in the air. "I just couldn't be who he wanted."

"That isn't your fault." The large man immediately replied.

"I know. I just, that night, the things I said that made him mad…. They were my fault." She looked down. "All of this was my fault."

"His decision are his own. His choice to kill that girl was his choice." Oaken reassured. "What do you think you possibly could've said that would've driven him to murder?" Elsa grabbed the pillow off the couch and held it in her arms as she pulled her legs up to it.

"That I was in love with Anna." She muffled out through the pillow.

"Love is not something anyone should be punished for. Tell me about Anna." He said while rearranging and picking up his pen again.

"She's my childhood friend. I spent years looking after her while she followed me around." Elsa stopped, smiling for a second. "We were quite the handful. But we were so close. As we grew up and got older I stopped looking at her like she was a little kid because there she was maturing right before my eyes. She was so brave- and- strong-" She said as began to cry a little.

"She left." Oaken supplied as he handed Elsa a box of tissues.

"Yes. She met someone in high school. And they got married and moved to Florida." A shaky sentence was uttered by the blonde.

"When was that?" The large man asked while jotting something down.

"A year before…." Elsa trailed off, unable to finish.

"Ah. So she left. Why are you thinking about her now?" Oaken responded knowing that this wasn't something they could delve into on their first appointment of the year.

"Because last friday I found her on my porch swing crying." She said laughing ruefully into a tissue.

"Well that's quite the jump." The large man replied.

"She's still one of the closest people in the world to me and I don't know what to do. Mom says I should have her stay at the main estate. Anna offered to stay at a hotel but I just want her in my arms."

"Well what are the downsides of her living with you?"

"She could find out about my dad." Elsa said with a gulp, not even thinking about this outcome.

"She doesn't know?" The therapist asked.

"I told her about Olaf's mom, and Seth but I left everything else out because I wasn't ready to handle it yet." The blonde answered, pulling the pillow even closer to her chest.

"How do you think she'd react if she knew?" Oaken asked.

"Anna would never judge me for my father." Was Elsa automatic response.

"Then really, are there any downsides?" The large man said with a smile.

"What if she finds out that I'm in love with her and it sends her away?" The blonde asks fearfully.

Oaken sighed, "Do you think this girl, who has been your friend since you were little, the one who won't judge you for your dad, who still comes running across the country to end up in your arms, is going to turn you away for loving her?"

Elsa heaved a big sigh. "I don't think there's anything I can really do about her. It wouldn't change anything if I told her anyway, so it's not something to risk."

"Then what have you come to see me about, Elsa?"

"A lot of reasons." Elsa gave out a sad chuckle. "I want to sleep through the night, but I keep having those dreams except now, it's all of it."

"Tell me about the dreams." Oaken requested.

"They're always the same. I'm in that suit from the gala, and I'm chasing him, and when we get to Jess, bloody and holding a bundle, but Olaf isn't there. He isn't there and I'm looking everywhere and I can't find him. I know that he's supposed to be in that blanket in her arms but he's not. He's missing and I can't find him. And when I look around my father's gone too. There's nothing but darkness and I'm alone. I wake up screaming and I don't know why. Olaf is still there." Elsa started crying more. "My little boy's still here and I'm worried that he'll be hurt or lost. I'm worried someone will take him from me."

"But your father isn't here." Oaken surmised and then paused in thought before replying. "And all parents worry for their child's safety. Don't worry, that's normal."

"But I know why I'm worried." Elsa said when she finally calmed down. "It's because Kristoff and I decided that it's time for them to get to know each other."

"It's very normal for adoptive parents to be concerned about their children forming stronger connections with birth parents but Olaf loves you. He won't leave you."

"Do you think he'll always love me?" The blonde said hopefully.

"I have the utmost faith." Oaken replied and then looked at his watch. "It seems like our time is up now but I'd love to meet with Kristoff, Olaf, Anna, and yourself next week."

"That sounds go- Wait! Why Anna? I thought we'd give that more time." Elsa said as she climbed off the couch.

"Well isn't she living with Olaf? That's an important connection for him, as far as his familial connections."

"I know, but I thought this would mostly be to connect Olaf and Kristoff."

"Yes but it's important to see how his family relationship works and give you all tools to appropriately connect with him."

"Alrighty then." Elsa said with a sigh. "I'll see you next week then."


	22. Chapter 22

"Did you see this movie coming out? It's got that actress I like, and that guy? And it's a comedy. It looks really good. We could all go see it and I bet kristoff would like it. It seems up his alley and I bet I dunn would like the-" Anna rushed, as she stared at the magazine in her hand..

"What's going on?" The blond cut her off to ask.

"What do you mean?" The younger girl asked without making eyecontact.

"I mean you're shaking and trembling. Asking question after question. You seem like you're anxious or something." The blonde asked, looking from the magazine to the girl's face in doubt.

"No it's not that, It's just… I want to know what you talked about in there but it's therapy so it's obviously private, and I just wondered…." The redhead trailed off thinking about the man who had welcomed in her childhood friend an hour ago to talk about the things she desperately wanted to know.

"IIt's okay, Anna. Honestly, we didn't talk about much. It's mostly just for Olaf." The blonde led the way back down the stairs that they had traversed up an hour ago. "Oh, yeah. That's why they want you to come to the next one. Since you spend time living with Olaf, Oaken thinks you must spend important time with him, teaching him values and behaviour and the like." She said anxiously waiting for Anna's response as they climbed into the car headed to the college. There was silence for a long while driving through the streets.

"I guess that makes a lot of sense." Anna said, fake smiling . "Anything for Olaf."

"Okay, as long as someone gets it…"Elsa said questioningly as Anna smiled.

"It makes tons of sense Elsa. Has he never had your mom or Jack in there." Anna asked.

"That didn't make any sense either!" Elsa argued, and soon it was right back to their normal comfort.

"You just sat around in there for an hour, and had probably the quietest moments out of your life with them?" The redhead giggled.

"No! It just… I didn't feel like it helped… He's supposed to be my therapist, and he's supposed to help with my interactions with people, like my childhood therapist was supposed to. We never talked about them again, though, and they only came in once." Elsa explained stopping the easy banter with something more serious..

"... You said the therapy was mostly for Olaf?" Anna stopped joking as well as she asked.

"It's for Olaf too. He comes on his own on friday, and they talk. It just. This wasn't…" Elsa squirmed. She took a deep breath and released it before finishing. "I see Oaken, about my night terrors, and he helps with my anxiety about the galas, and stuff…"

"I guess it's stressful to run a huge company like Arrendelle corp." Anna tried to joke.

"It might be a little much, even for me." Elsa said, pulling into a parking space on the street. "I'm gonna wait in the car. Go see if you can apply for classes, I'll be right here when you get back." Anna leaned over the parking break and kissed Elsa on the cheek before climbing out.

"I'll be right back," she said and turned back to her, "Thank you, Elsa, for sharing with me."

As Anna left, Elsa grabbed her phone from her purse and started dialing. The other person picked up on the first ring. "Yeah Boss? What is it?"

"Do you think we can drop the Southern people from our product line?" The blonde asked.

"God! You must be madly in love with this girl." The woman responded. "I'm sure that we can look into it. I'll have Marshall from accounting get back to me. Was there something else?"

"Do you have to say something about it every time? You've known how I felt about her since the day I met you, Meg." The C.E.O responded. "Thank you."

"Yeah, but I'd never seen the two of you. You had her basically curled up on your lap and then right after she got so mad at me. I've never even had people who are dating the person I'm sleeping with be so mad, but her, God, she was so jealous."

"She wasn't jealous, she just lost her home and family by coming her, if she doesn't have this then she's lost everything."

"And yet, she chose you over all those things, doesn't that seem like a huge flashing neon sign screaming her love and devotion? Really? She chose you over love and family and her home, and that just seems trivial to you?"

"I didn't say it was trivial, I just... I bet she'd rather live with Adgar."

"Oh, God, Elsa.."

"Yeah. You should've seen her with him. I'd never seen her so scared before. She was shaking as they sat and talked about how she wasn't going back, it was.. God. I just wanted to kill him. Good thing Allistair was there to stop me."

"How is she taking it?"

"As if nothing happened at all. She's still moving through life, happy as can be."

"She's so unbelievably strong. I couldn't imagine doing that."

"Exactly, so have Marshall look into the finances and see if we can drop Southern industries. She's never going back there."

"Alrighty Boss." The secretary said and Elsa hung up.


End file.
